Parents, does any of this sound familiar?
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Anxiously scanning websites, blogs, and videos only to hear the same generic advice: “Your child should write about what makes them unique!”
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Earnestly messaging other parents on Facebook hoping they’ll help you and not judge you.
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Asking your child what their college plans are and yet again feeling completely out of the loop.
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Eagerly attending an informational session at a local university, library, or school… only to learn yet again what the Common App is.
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Knowing that you and your husband are both U of M grads and fearing that you’ll have to conceal your disappointment if your son doesn’t get in.
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Spending years watching your daughter overexert herself academically and socially… but being left with two nagging questions:
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As a child, is she pushing herself too hard?
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As a college applicant, is this even enough?
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The college essay is the most important piece of writing your child will submit. Let’s make sure it’s good enough to get them into the college of their dreams.
Ella H.
"I consider Olivia to be a major asset in my college application journey. She is very articulate, has thoughtful feedback, and is a true expert in what she does. I highly recommend Olivia and her exceptional guidance. I know she was a contributor in my acceptance to the University of Michigan. Thank you, Olivia!"
Nick C.
"Olivia was great to work with and I felt like she really cared about not only my college essays but me. I was accepted into my top choice with a merit scholarship. Go Clemson Tigers!"
Autumn G.
"Olivia went above and beyond when helping me craft my college essay. Her skills, knowledge, and dedication enabled me to elevate my essay to an extent I would have never reached alone. With Olivia’s help, I was accepted into my #1 college, Howard University, with a 72k scholarship! As a whole, Olivia made my college application process smoother and less stressful and I am so thankful."
Greta G.
"I highly recommend Olivia's services as a tutor. She is an amazing help in so many ways. She made me feel confident in my writing and eased my worries about the college application process significantly. Before her help, I was so lost and had no idea how to even begin my essay. Her processes and techniques helped me feel secure."
My students have been accepted to...
Parents are not the only ones with concerns. I talk to young people every single day, and here’s what I hear most often:
“I’m not good enough”
“I don’t really have anything to write about”
“I don’t even know what colleges want to hear”
“I don’t wanna be too cliche”
“I don’t know how to make my essays as good as they can be.”
Frantically searching How Can My Child Stand Out to Colleges is not working. Here’s Why:
When students and families begin working on the college essay, they believe they need to reach back in their memories to find the most unique experience a 17 year old from southeast Michigan could ever have.
This quickly becomes discouraging because your child likely doesn’t have an experience that college admissions officers haven’t heard about before.
But your child’s essay is not going to stand out because of the TOPIC they choose. It’s going to stand out because of the WAY your child writes about that topic.
For example, my student Emily was considering three different essay ideas:
a.) Horseback riding as a kid
b.) Coping with depression
c.) Playing the piano.
There were definitely other applicants who would write about any of these topics. So, since she didn’t have a completely unique life experience, I asked her to consider: Which of your life experiences have deeply shaped the person you are today?
For her, it was playing the piano.
She explained how her progression in piano skills helped her get comfortable with failure at an early age. She gave examples of different songs she learned to play, and the perseverance and tenacity she gained from struggling to get them right.
But while Emily wrote about perseverance, other applicants wrote about the piano in a totally different way. For one applicant, maybe piano taught them discipline. For another applicant, piano gave them a deep appreciation for the arts. For yet another applicant, the piano was their way to connect with their culture.
In short: Your child’s goal is not to find the most unique essay topic. Their goal is to find an authentic topic that they can write about meaningfully. While other applicants may write about the same topic, no one will write about it in the same way your child will.
I was once on the phone...
with a mom of one of my students, and she said her daughter described our first tutoring session as therapy. This sounds silly, but ultimately, submitting a competitive essay requires young people to take a deep look at themselves & begin reflecting on the world around them.
This is why your child needs a tutor that they feel comfortable opening up to in Session #1.
Book college essay tutoring for your child so that they can send me a text like this.
If writing a decent essay was as easy as answering the prompt and having proper grammar, you could just edit your child’s essay yourself.
Students typically get hung up on the prompts because they are purposefully very generalized. It takes a skilled tutor to help them narrow their ideas down & be reflective.
Average Tutor
Student: I want to write my college essay about how much I loved cooking with my grandma when I was a kid!
Tutor: Great! Can you tell me why you liked it so much?
Olivia Gundrum
Student: I want to write my college essay about how much I loved cooking with my grandma when I was a kid!
Olivia: Great, that's an excellent topic!
Here are some questions you can reflect on so that you can begin to form a theme for your entire essay:
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What qualities in your grandma do you admire? Do you think you share some of those qualities? How are you two alike and different?
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Do you think cooking is more of an art or a science? Why?
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What in your life would you be missing if you never had those moments with your grandma?
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Why is cooking important to your family? To your community? To the world?
Most students will submit their applications before the November 1st deadline. Your child deserves to enter their senior year stress free, knowing that their essays are ready to be submitted.
Imagine
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Being able to send me a text or email anytime you feel anxious about your child’s application. No more rushing to the internet every time you hear a rumor from another parent.
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Your child having structured, uninterrupted time to focus solely on their college essays. I get to know them as an individual and give them advice that is completely tailored to their essays and their goals.
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Your child bursting through the door and beaming with excitement as they eagerly show you the “Congratulations!” written at the top of their acceptance email.
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Looking at your child in their brand new college gear, knowing that you gave them every resource to achieve their dreams.
Summer 2025 Tutoring Sessions
Four
Tutoring Sessions
Your child will complete their common app essay by the end of the summer!
Easy-to-Book Sessions
Your child won’t procrastinate or push off their applications. I’ll be the accountability they need to get their essays done over the summer.
Compassionate & Clear Advice
Any time you or your child have questions, I’m available to help! During our sessions, I’ll give your child advice that pushes them to write a unique, competitive essay.
Unlimited Google Doc Revisions
In between each session, I will add feedback to your child’s essay to support them during the drafting process.
$440
Tutoring sessions must be scheduled between June 9th-August 22nd, 2025
Enroll by June 6th, 2025
UMich
Essays: Seven
Tutoring Sessions
Your child will complete their common app essay and their 2 UMich supplemental essays by the end of the summer!
Easy-to-Book Sessions
Your child won’t procrastinate or push off their applications. I’ll be the accountability they need to get their essays done over the summer.
Compassionate & Clear Advice
Any time you or your child have questions, I’m available to help! During our sessions, I’ll give your child advice that pushes them to write a unique, competitive essay.
Unlimited Google Doc Revisions
In between each session, I will add feedback to your child’s essay to support them during the drafting process.
Standout "Why Us?" Essay
Your child will showcase genuine and unique interest in UMich through their essay
Thoughtful Community Essay
Your child's application will be strategic and well-rounded through a community essay that reveals new information not yet seen on their application
$640
Tutoring sessions must be scheduled between June 9th-August 22nd, 2025
Enroll by June 6th, 2025
Unlimited Tutoring Sessions
Your child will complete their common app essay, all supplemental essays, and their activities section by the end of the summer!
Easy-to-Book Sessions
Your child won’t procrastinate or push off their applications. I’ll be the accountability they need to get their essays done over the summer.
Compassionate & Clear Advice
Any time you or your child have questions, I’m available to help! During our sessions, I’ll give your child advice that pushes them to write a unique, competitive essay.
Unlimited Google Doc Revisions
In between each session, I will add feedback to your child’s essay to support them during the drafting process.
Organized List of All Schools & Essays
After session one, I will send you & your child a full list of the schools they’re applying to and all the essays that need to be written for each school.
Activities Section that Enhances the Application
I’ll show your child how to write an activities section that doesn’t just list their extracurriculars, but makes their application more competitive.
Submit a Strategic, Well-Rounded Application
I will meet with your child until every aspect of their application showcases their personality & strengths.
$1,200
Tutoring sessions must be scheduled between June 9th-August 22nd, 2025
Enroll by June 6th, 2025
You could always wait until the fall to find a tutor. But then it’s back to school season… before you know it, it’s senior homecoming… then they're studying for their first major tests... OMG the application is due in 2 weeks!
The early admission deadline for most schools is November 1st. If your child applies by November 1st, they have more scholarship opportunities and it’s the first round of admissions, so no spots have been taken yet.
I’ve seen students stay home from school on Halloween because they need to finish their essays. I’ve had students email me at 11:30pm before the midnight deadline. I’ve received frantic texts over accidental misspellings in the final draft that was submitted to a student’s #1 college.
While this is typical teenage procrastination, it unfortunately creates essays that are less cohesive, obviously rushed, and applications that are simply less competitive.
As parents, you can prevent this. By signing up for summer tutoring, your child has ample time to write the best essays they can. This will ensure that your child feels confident and collected when they finally hit “submit.”
Frequently asked questions
Each year, it seems like applications get more competitive and more complicated. With this comes LOTS of other resources that your family could utilize:
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You could look over your child’s essay yourself
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Your child’s English teacher could look it over
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Your child’s college counselor could review it
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You could book an online tutor or college consultant to meet with your child virtually
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You could look at free resources & videos online
But the truth is that personal statements are just that… personal!
After I give presentations in our community, students don’t ask me the kinds of questions they can look online to find. They ask me very specific questions about their particular application. Things like:
“When I was in middle school, my best friend committed suicide. How can I make sure my essay focuses on how this impacted me, versus talking about her the whole essay?"
“Do you think it’d be best to write my supplemental essay on how hikes with my dad made me want to study geology or about how experiencing a small earthquake on a vacation in California first introduced me to seismology?”
“Do you think I should write my common app essay about how the school play helped me come out as gay if I was already planning to write one of my supplemental essays about my identity?”
Ultimately, it takes a competent and compassionate tutor to sit across from a young person, listen to their experiences & ideas, and offer them guidance on writing an essay that truly stands out amongst other applicants. I’d love to be that for your child.
To make sure your child submits an essay that truly impresses admissions officers, sign up for tutoring today!
SUMMER COLLEGE ESSAY TUTORING
WILL RESUME SUMMER 2026
Common App Tutoring: 4 Sessions
440
Your child will complete their common app essay by the end of the summer!
UMich Essay Tutoring: 7 Sessions
640
Your child will complete their common app essay and both of their University of Michigan supplemental essays by the end of the summer.
Unlimited Tutoring Sessions
1,200
Your child will complete their common app essay, all
supplemental essays, and their activities section by the end of the summer!